Profile: Lobaton's best skill is his patience, as his 12.2% walk rate ranked 13th among catchers with 190+ plate appearances and his on base percentage was higher than his slugging. He provides little else in terms of offensive production as his .078 career isolated slugging percentage would tell you. With Jose Molina firmly entrenched in the starting role, Lobaton will battle fellow backup Chris Gimenez for the number two job behind the plate. (Erik Hahmann)

The Quick Opinion: In AL-only leagues Lobaton is worth a look if anything should happen to the Ray's starting catcher, Jose Molina.

Profile: Jose Molina and the newly-acquired Ryan Hanigan both rank ahead of Lobaton in the catcher depth chart in Tampa. While Lobaton offered better hitting than Molina, and possibly even Hanigan, the switch-hitting Lobaton will require a trade to match even the partial playing time he received in 2013. If he's still on the Rays, he'll start the season in the minors and only get partial time if/when catcher injuries occur. With a .249/.320/.394 career slash and just-above league average weighted offense, Lobaton ranks as an above-average hitter at the catcher position. He hits for a smidgen of power and sports a solid on-base percentage; for a catcher, that's great. He may never be a darling of the batting average leagues, but with steady playing time, he could make for a good, cheap catching option. But until his name is higher than number three on the depth chart, look elsewhere. (@BradleyWoodrum)

The Quick Opinion: The Rays' acquisition of Ryan Hanigan puts Lobaton on the bottom of a three-tiered pecking order. So barring a trade to a new team, Lobaton's value is limited to the health of Jose Molina and Hanigan. If he does get steady playing time, with the Rays or elsewhere, Lobaton could make for a clever waiver wire or late draft acquisition.

Profile: Lobaton’s value comes from the fact that he plays behind Wilson Ramos, who has spent a lot of time on the disabled list the past couple of seasons. Lobaton won’t hit for a high average, but should walk at a decent clip. He shouldn’t be started in most leagues even if he gets the job due to injury. (Chris Cwik)

Profile: Lobaton (auto-correct: Libation) is a switch-hitting backup catcher who you’d like to have on your team in real life. In fantasy, however, his appeal is very limited. He strikes out a quarter of the time, has a sub-.100 isolated slugging percentage, isn’t the fleetest of foot (zero career steals), and the only way you pick him up is if something happens to Wilson Ramos. (Darren Schienbein)

Profile: Jose Lobaton has served as Wilson Ramos’ backup catcher in Washington for the last three seasons, and now that Ramos is in Tampa Bay, Lobaton will serve as trade acquisition Derek Norris’s backup in 2017. Lobaton is a decent backup primarily because of his pitch-blocking and catcher framing abilities. Offensively, there is little to be excited about. His best offensive season featured a .249 batting average and seven home runs in 311 plate appearances. He has never stolen a base in the major leagues. And while his career 9.4 percent walk rate is solid and helps make up for his lack of hits, that does not help players in traditional fantasy formats and will also not help him get an edge in playing time over Norris, who has a similar career 9.2 percent walk rate plus better power, speed, and defense. Lobaton’s one real fantasy asset is that fact that he is a switch hitter and is more productive from the left side of the plate, but a .223/.308/.339 triple slash from his better side hardly makes him a must-start in daily formats. (Scott Spratt)

The Quick Opinion: The Nationals allowed Wilson Ramos to leave in free agency but replaced him with Derek Norris, which means Jose Lobaton will remain the team’s backup catcher. Lobaton is more of a defensive specialist with little power and no speed, so he is not much of a fantasy option even when he starts.

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